MARTIAL ARTS
Defend yourself with DINO Jiu Jitsu
The mat at DINO Jiu Jitsu might be the only place you will see people smiling while in a headlock. DINO Jiu Jitsu is a martial arts gym, located on 700 North LBJ, offering Gi and NoGi classes for all ages and all skill levels. Every Friday at 11 a.m., they offer a free women’s class open to the public. In addition, there is a free homeschool class offered Fridays at 10 a.m. Coach Marie Ellensohn started DINO last February with partners Tim Nicolls III and David Gibson; They joined forces with 3rd-degree blackbelt Rafael Pinheiro this past June.
The gym offers a wide variety of classes, but Ellensohn made it her mission to offer a free course for homeschool students and women after realizing there was a need in the community.
“We do a free NoGi class, so they’re getting 50 minutes of jiu jitsu training. It’s completely free to any homeschool kids, or during the summer, any kid can come. It’s not just homeschool kids, but it is five and up.” Ellensohn said. “It was really important for me to have a women’s class; our community that we have built here is very kind and inclusive. We want to make sure that everybody feels comfortable, and they become like family.”
Jiu Jitsu is a typically male-dominated sport, so Ellensohn wanted to give women a space and opportunity to learn the fundamentals that could be beneficial in the outside world.
“But my diabolical plan is that I would like to have more women on the mat,” Ellensohn said. “I am goal-focused on making the community a huge women’s community.”
Jiu Jitsu is a style of grappling focused on movements and techniques for when the fight moves to the ground.
“Jiu Jitsu is great for little boys because it gives them a place to be rough and tough and to challenge their ego. And you know, because boys like to fight, it gives them a safe place to do that,” Ellensohn said. “With little girls, it’s necessary because every position in Jiu Jitsu is a bad place for a female to be in. So if you can have an understanding of the fundamentals of what to do if you’re in that situation, then you have a better opportunity to get out of it. So I’m very passionate about girls training [and] very passionate about women training. I just think it’s necessary.”
As a mother to daughters Marie Ellensohn’s focus is safety.
“As long as I am here, there will be a free homeschool class, and there will be a free women’s class,” she said. “The only time that will be canceled is holidays. And I’m also a competitor, so [it will be cancelled] if I have to go out of state to compete. But other than that, it’ll be here [at DINO Jiu Jitsu] every Friday.”
You can find the gym’s full schedule on their website at dinobjj.com and follow their instagram for updates at @dinojiujitsu.
